What's your favorite way to work?

This is one of mine...of course, OUT there, on the spot, is my first love.  I was sitting on a bench by Lake Taneycomo, where I've camped a number of times when I wore a younger woman's clothes...

My favorite Noodler's Creaper pen and Lexington Gray ink let me sketch in the details, as much or as little as I like...

...and then I just splashed in the color, loosely.  I use that a lot, because it keeps me from getting too niggly with details.  This is a very comfortable technique for me.  I often just jump right in with ink, when it's a subject like this, with no pencil underdrawing.

 When my subject is more complex--like architecture!--I'll sometimes do some light graphite guidelines and THEN ink, as I did here.  This was the little Depression-era cabin we stayed in for our anniversary, also at Bennett Springs.  It's a charmer!  (You can see the center fold of my journal right on the leading corner of the building.)

I used a similar technique here, but decided to only color the little building and a bit of background at Bennett Spring State Park where Joseph was fishing.  This was done with a bent-nib Hero calligraphy pen, which makes wonderful brush-like marks, and no pencil underdrawing.

and for this one, I switched to my beloved vintage Sheaffer--probably of an age with the building, come to think of it!--and lost myself in the shapes and textures.  I decided to leave it as it was, with no color...ink can suggest a kind of luminosity all by itself.

All three of the pens used here are fountain pens, so I always carry a tiny vial of ink with me!  It's the same ink, too, which can look gray or black depending on which pen I'm using.

As you can probably tell, for once there was no hurry, no need for quick sketching as I teach in some of my mini-classes, and so I sketched till my fingers smoked!

More of my Bennett Spring sketches, old and new, in my Flickr set, HERE.


So what's YOUR most comfortable way to work?

Bookshelf and Supply Catalog tabs are gone, sorry...

Sorry, all, if you were used to checking our virtual bookshelf or supply catalog...Missouri enacted the internet sales tax law, and as it has in other states, Amazon canceled their associates here.  The links won't open, now.

It's not Amazon, it's my beloved state, so don't blame Amazon!  How cold they possibly collect sales tax for Missouri if someone in Iowa clicked on a link and bought a secondhand book from someone in Florida?  That's how the links worked...convoluted, I know, and no wonder Amazon didn't want to deal with that impossible maze!

IF this unconstitutional law is ever repealed, the bookshelf and catalog will be back! 

I replaced our old Personal Favorite Supplies tab, though...links within it may not work, but the info is still good.

Thanks for understanding...

a secret to quicker sketching

Normally, I am a very slow sketcher --- slow at choosing a subject and slow at determining how to place it on a sketchbook page. Usually penciling in the basics (or more) before ink, then inking in just the most important lines, erasing the pencil lines, and finally adding watercolor washes. Overall, a very slow process!

Lately I have been trying to streamline my process. I've been carrying a pen, one small plastic pill box, a waterbrush, and reusable cloth. I'm getting braver at drawing directly in ink, though sometimes I'll use a blue-gray watercolor pencil which does not require erasing. But the best thing I've found to speed things up has been to cut down to only 2 watercolors: ultramarine blue and burnt umber. The above sketch was painted using only these (except the tiny diagram of optional color). When drawing on-site, I add just the warm and cool shadows. Later at home, I can add a bit of color if I wish. This really lightens my bag as well as taking away distracting options that slow me down.

If I think I'll have time to add color on-site, the second pill box holds 3 half-pans of basic color: quinacridone red or rose, a cool yellow, phthalo blue, goethite brown umber, and quinacridone burnt orange. All my recent sketches have been using these, and I am actually getting better . . . more confident in drawing as well as faster. Maybe I'll get more than one thing drawn at the next sketchcrawl.

limited palette with a challenge

new color chart in sketchbook based on David Barker's limited travel palette

Several years ago, there was an article in Artist's Sketchbook magazine on artist David Barker's limited palette and how he used it in his travel sketchbooks. What really caught my attention was that he first used only ultramarine blue and burnt umber to establish values and temperatures in his sketches, then added color only as needed. Sounds like an interesting challenge to me!

the original color chart and my Bijou box

 At the time, I worked out his colors in a color chart which I recently found while cleaning out old art supplies. I decided to try a similar palette in my Bijou box, substituting a quinacridone version of alizarin crimson, goethite brown ochre for raw umber, and quinacridone burnt orange for burnt sienna. I don't use yellow ochre or aureolin anymore -- these are leftover pans. When they are empty, I will probably replace them with quinacridone gold and Hansa yellow medium.

The Minnesota State Fair Sketch Out 5 Is Fast Approaching

Above: The button for the fifth Minnesota State Fair Sketch Out (a.k.a. MSFSO5). The artwork is by artist Suzanne Hughes. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 is the date for the MSFSO5. 

Anyone who knows me knows I'm already excited! I am getting the word out here because it is a Sketch Out like no other—there are corn dogs and animals, and people doing very odd things, all within a "city" within a city. I wanted to let people know in case they are planning a summer get away and want to use that time sensibly with a high fun factor and lots of sketching potential!

There will be a meeting of the sketchers at 4:30 p.m. on that day. People who have been there all day will share their sketches, some people will just be arriving from after work, and will sketch into the night. Either way it's a great place to sketch, meet sketchers, and have fun.

While you do have to pay your own admission to the Fair, the Sketch Out and the button are free to all participants (while button supplies last of course). (The button is reason enough to attend.)

I will have more information on Roz Wound Up about the meeting location as we get closer to the date. (For people who know the Fairgrounds it will be between the Ag-Hort Building and the Food Building as it has been for the past several years.) I just wanted to give people an opportunity to make travel plans—and of course see this year's button.

If you would like to see more information about what I do at the Fair and how I prepare please check my blog archives from August 2009 through September 2009. I have quite a few posts on how to prep, what to bring, how to dress, and how to pace yourself, as well as tips on drawing animals and people.

In fact if you can't join us all this information will be useful to you wherever you decide to go sketching this summer (in the northern Hemisphere that is).

I hope you can join us to capture this fun Minnesota event. (For folks who don't live in Minnesota the Fairgrounds are located in western St. Paul, within easy distance to many hotels, etc., etc. In fact it's so close to the edge of Minneapolis you might be better trying to stay in Minneapolis.)

accordian-fold 'granny nanny' journal

I just returned from the second of two trips to Texas to provide childcare for some of our grandkids. For each trip, I sketched in one side of this accordian-fold journal, which I bought from Cathy 'Kate' Johnson on eBay last year -- I call it my 'granny nanny' journal.

The first side was done in March when our eldest son took a group of students to Alaska on a mission trip and I helped out at home with his kids, Jayna, Josiah, and Judah. Now I have just returned from Texas again -- this time staying with our daughter's daughter, Mikala, while her parents were in Scotland.

side 1 - early March in Richmond, TX

side 2 - June in northwest Houston

This journal form especially worked well when Mikala wanted me to draw her new kitten, Oreo. At 9 months old, this Maine Coon cat is already as large as my over-sized 11 year old Maine Coon, Bearcat! We decided that he was too big for one page to contain him . . . . so he takes up 3 pages, along with sketches from her volleyball workshop and a day we picked blackberries:

Individual sketches can be seen on my blog, in the March 2013 and June / July 2013 entries. I also took a watercolor Moleskine with me --- haven't finished posting the sketches from it yet.

Summer Classes at ImaginaryTrips.com!

Tuscan Gold
7.5 x 5.5 inches on Arches Cold Press 140 lb. paper
Watercolor

It's summertime and the travel is easy—just take an Imaginary Trip to a wonderful location and never leave home! No packing, no fatigue, no hassles with luggage or security lines.

Come take a look!

Imaginary Trip to Italy 2012 - Six weeks to visit the wonderful country of Italy. This class starts tomorrow, so hurry! More information can be seen here.

Imaginary Trip to Australia - This ALL NEW class starts this Thursday, July 11th. We'll take six weeks to travel around "down under!" You can sign up for the class here.

Imaginary Trip to New Zealand - Another ALL NEW class, we'll be headed to this fabulous country starting August 29th. Come and join the fun here.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - This city ROCKS! Come and join the fun starting September 3rd. For more information, click here.

I hope you'll join me on one of these fun adventures. The classes are very flexible and allow you to work on the assignments at your leisure so you can still get in plenty of playtime outside.

As always, we laugh, we learn and we come home with a great sketchbook full of the places we've seen, the things we've done and the experiences we've shared.

Please let me know of any questions you may have!

~ Laure